Put down the popcorn and pick up a controller
PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain has a lot of problems, such as it being a B-movie thriller that mistakenly thinks it's high art. After playing a brief section of PS4 exclusive Until Dawn, I can say this game makes no such presumptions. Until Dawn is a slasher movie translated into game form, with cheap scares, angsty teens, masked killers, and gory action you expect from Friday The 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. And the game wears its tropes with pride.
Of course, Until Dawn's interactivity and branching paths offer players something the films never could, and what happens to the eight would-be survivors is up to you. Through a mix of light motion controls and timed choices, you slowly shape the narrative as you go in unexpected ways. My demo ended with a pretty game-altering twist for Chris and Ashley, making me wonder just how many of these Until Dawn has up its sleeve, and how different everyone's experiences will be in the end. The 2015 release may not redefine emotional storytelling in gaming, but there's an undeniable art to creating tension and horror in fiction, and it's one Until Dawn has clearly studied well.
Read on for more info and screens from the game If you dare! Muahahahaha!
